Engendering performance in Les Fleurs du Mal

Abstract

Whereas lyric poetry traditionally focuses on one voice or at best two where the second mirrors the desires or fears of the first, Baudelaire’s poetry often includes voices at variance, heard or implied. Structured around contrasts, they frequently draw their dynamism from the dichotomy between male and female but, while some poems appear to be coded for specific genders, others invite more complex and nuanced readings. The idea of performance, of acting out possibilities while hiding the truth behind a mask, is central to his concept of the poet’s ability to enter into the minds of others. In this essay, I explore what this might mean for any performance of his poems and how much insight can be gained by adopting such a perspective.